Free Art Competitions 2026–2027: Open Calls With No Entry Fee
Last updated: October 22, 2026
Free art competitions open now
| Competition | Deadline | Entry fee | Prizes | Online | Who can enter | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NordArt 2027 | October 31, 2026 | Free | NordArt Prize of €10,000; three Public Choice Awards of €1,000 each | In person | Artists from around the world | Official page → |
| Portrait and Figure Open CallOur competition | November 1, 2026 | Free ($25 only if selected as a finalist) | $100 cash, diploma and a solo online exhibition | Online | International, artists 18 and over | Enter → |
| World Sports Photography Awards 2027 | November 23, 2026 | No fee to enter | Prizes provided by the awards’ sponsors | Online | Open to anyone not involved in organising the awards | Official page → |
| Sony World Photography Awards 2027 — Student | November 27, 2026 | Free | Sony digital imaging equipment; no cash amount is stated for this competition | Online | See the organiser’s website | Official page → |
| RHS Portfolio Competition 2027 | December 14, 2026 | Free to enter; shortlisted entrants pay for printing and mounting | £500 and RHS gift membership for Best Portfolio Exhibit; RHS medals | In person | See the organiser’s website | Official page → |
| Sony World Photography Awards 2027 — Open and Series | January 5, 2027 | Free | $5,000 for the Single Image competition; $25,000 and a solo exhibition for the Series competition | Online | See the organiser’s website | Official page → |
| Light & Shadow 2027Our competition | January 10, 2027 | Free (One artwork free; up to three for $10 in total; $25 participation fee only if selected) | $250 in cash prizes: $150, $50 and $50 | Online | International, artists 18 and over | Enter → |
Each call was checked on the organiser’s own page. Closed calls drop off this table on their deadline; check the official rules before you prepare an entry.
Yes, there are art competitions with no entry fee at all, and several of them award cash. The table above lists the free calls open now, each checked on the organiser’s own page, with what it pays, who may enter and when it closes. The rest of this guide covers what “free” really means and how to choose.
Looking for art competitions with no entry fee? You're not alone, thousands of artists search for free art contests every month, looking for legitimate opportunities to exhibit their work, build their CV, and win recognition without paying upfront.
The problem is that most "free" competitions either have hidden costs, deliver nothing of value, or are outright scams. So how do you find the real ones?
In this guide, we break down what to look for in a free art competition, list the best opportunities accepting submissions now, and explain how to get the most value from every entry.
What Makes a Free Art Competition Worth Entering?
Not all art competitions are equal. Before you submit, check for these signs of a legitimate contest:
A real jury. Look for named jurors with verifiable credentials, professional artists, curators, or art directors with exhibition histories you can check. If the jury is anonymous or unqualified, your certificate won't carry much weight.
Transparent selection process. A serious competition explains how works are evaluated, scoring criteria, number of rounds, whether jurors see each other's scores. This matters if you plan to use results in grant applications or professional portfolios.
Valuable outcomes beyond cash prizes. Prize money is nice, but the real value of an art competition lies in what you receive as a participant: exhibition records, certificates, catalogs, and professional documentation. These are the things that build your CV over time.
No hidden fees. Some competitions advertise "free entry" but charge for framing, shipping, or mandatory catalog purchases. Read the fine print. A truly free competition either has no cost at all, or charges only a small fee if you're selected, never before your work has been reviewed.
Free Online Art Competitions Accepting Submissions
Here are legitimate competitions currently open or regularly accepting free submissions:
Curatone.art, Current Open Call
Curatone.art runs international juried exhibitions with a model that's genuinely free to enter. You submit your work at no cost. If your work is selected by the jury, a $25 finalist fee covers exhibition hosting, catalog publication on Amazon, an official finalist diploma, and a detailed jury evaluation protocol with individual scores.
A new themed competition opens every few weeks; the current call and its theme are announced on the competitions page. The jury panel includes award-winning artists and curators from the US, Europe, and Asia, and recent competitions have received entries from 16+ countries.
Entry fee: Free to submit. $25 finalist fee only if selected. Prize: $100 cash + Winner's Diploma + free solo exhibition on Curatone.art. Deadline: set per competition; the current one is on the open call page.
Other Free Competitions to Watch
The Moir Collectors Catalogs, themed online challenges with one free entry per artist. Additional entries are paid. Cash awards and online exhibition features.
Artist.de Open Calls, Germany-based platform with periodic free open calls for digital exhibitions.
ArtRabbit Opportunities, not a competition itself, but an aggregator listing hundreds of open calls, many with free entry. Worth checking weekly.
Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, one of the oldest open exhibitions in the world. Entry fee applies, but worth mentioning for its prestige and accessibility to non-members.
Saatchi Art Showdown, periodic open calls through the Saatchi platform. Check their website for current opportunities.
Free Art Contests with Cash Prizes
From the competitions we have checked, the ones that are free to enter and pay a cash prize, by deadline:
Applications are free; selected work is shown in 22,000 m² of a former iron foundry and an 80,000 m² sculpture park, 5 June – 3 October 2027. Up to ten images per application.
Up to three works per artist. Judged by an international jury; finalists receive diplomas and an evaluation.
A series of six photographs of plants, gardens or landscapes; shortlisted portfolios are shown and judged from 18 June 2027.
Single Image closes 5 January 2027 at 16:00 GMT; the Series competition closes a week later, on 12 January 2027.
Recently closed (2)
One winner from one image. Any 2D or 3D medium; AI-generated work is not accepted.
Three categories: a single photograph, a series of three to five, and scientific or medical imaging. Illustration, moving image and AI-generated images are excluded. The prize is named for 2027; entries close in October 2026.
Deadlines and fees are read from each organiser’s own page on the date shown with the entry. They do change — check the organiser’s site before you prepare an entry.
Free Drawing and Illustration Competitions
From the same catalogue, the free-entry calls that accept drawing or illustration, by deadline:
Up to three works per artist. Judged by an international jury; finalists receive diplomas and an evaluation.
Recently closed (1)
One winner from one image. Any 2D or 3D medium; AI-generated work is not accepted.
Deadlines and fees are read from each organiser’s own page on the date shown with the entry. They do change — check the organiser’s site before you prepare an entry.
Free Entry vs. Paid Entry: Which Is Better?
Many artists wonder whether free competitions are less prestigious than paid ones. The answer depends on the selection process, not the fee.
A free competition with a rigorous jury and selective process can be far more valuable on your CV than a paid contest that accepts everyone. What matters is selectivity, how many artists applied versus how many were exhibited. A 30% acceptance rate from a juried panel means something. A 100% acceptance rate means nothing, regardless of what you paid.
The "free submission + finalist fee" model is becoming more common because it aligns incentives: the platform only earns money when the jury selects quality work, which means there's no incentive to accept weak submissions.
How to Maximize Your Competition Entries
Read the theme carefully. Submitting work that doesn't relate to the theme is the most common reason for rejection. If the theme is "Connections," don't submit a landscape unless you can articulate the connection.
Submit your strongest work, not your newest. Jurors evaluate the artwork, not when you made it. Your best piece from three years ago will score higher than a rushed recent work.
Write a clear artist statement. Many competitions ask for a short statement. Keep it under 150 words, explain what the work is about, and connect it to the theme. Avoid jargon.
Check image requirements. Most competitions want JPEG, 72–300 DPI, under 4 MB. A poorly photographed masterpiece will score lower than a well-documented good piece. Invest 10 minutes in proper lighting and cropping.
Track your submissions. Keep a spreadsheet of where you've submitted, deadlines, results, and any documentation received. This becomes your exhibition history over time.
Why Exhibition Documentation Matters More Than Prizes
If you're building a professional art career, whether for gallery representation, academic positions, grants, or professional documentation, what you receive from a competition matters more than the prize money.
A $100 prize is spent in a week. But a finalist diploma from a juried international exhibition, a published catalog on Amazon, and a detailed jury evaluation protocol are permanent additions to your professional record. They demonstrate that independent experts reviewed your work and found it exhibition-worthy.
This is especially relevant for artists assembling a formal professional record, where documented exhibition history and evidence of recognition carry particular weight.
Ready to Enter?
New to this? How to submit your art to competitions, step by step — file formats, categories and what a jury sees.
The current Curatone.art open call is accepting free submissions. Your work will be reviewed by an international jury panel, and if selected, you receive a complete documentation package: finalist diploma, evaluation protocol, and catalog publication.
It takes less than 5 minutes to submit, and there's no cost unless your work is selected.
Enter the current open call, free submission →
View all current Curatone.art contests
Curatone.art is an international curatorial platform offering juried exhibitions, a peer-reviewed journal (ISSN 3054-6621), and professional documentation for visual artists worldwide.
Frequently asked questions
Are these art competitions really free to enter?
Yes. Every call in the table costs nothing to enter. Some charge only later: a fee if your work is selected (Curatone’s $25 finalist fee), or a fee for extra works beyond a free first one. The "Entry fee" column says which.
Can adults enter?
Yes. Most calls here are open to adults at any level, and Curatone’s competitions accept artists 18 and over. Where a call is limited to students or young artists, "Who can enter" says so.
Is digital art allowed?
In many, yes. Curatone’s calls judge digital work alongside painting, drawing and photography. Rules on AI-generated images differ, and many competitions exclude them, so check the organiser’s rules.
Which competitions are international / open worldwide?
Most of those listed, including Curatone’s calls, NordArt, the Sony World Photography Awards and the World Sports Photography Awards. Each call’s eligibility is in the "Who can enter" column.
Which ones have cash prizes?
See the Prizes column and the "Free Art Contests with Cash Prizes" section, which lists every free call that pays money, by deadline.
How do I submit my art to a competition?
Pick an open call, read its rules, prepare well-lit JPEGs at the requested size, add title, medium, dimensions and a short statement, and submit through the organiser’s form before the deadline. Step by step: our guide How to Submit Your Art to Competitions.